About the Author

Pastor, philanthropist and playwright, Rev. Kelcey Anderson West was born on February 12, 1971 in Pontiac, Michigan. A 1996 graduate of UNLV (after being expelled in 1991), Pastor West has been speaking and performing before large audiences since the age of 8. In 1992, he created 32nd Street Theater (inside the library of Community College of Southern Nevada), a non-profit theater company. His theatrical credits as a self-taught playwright and director include "Two Sided Coins", "A Gift Called Tomorrow", "Quiet Time To Play", and "If This World Were Mine – A Theatrical Tribute to the Music Of Marvin Gaye." In 1993, he developed the now annual “Unity Through Knowledge” HBCU Tour and College Preparatory Program, which has helped more than 1,400 high school students tour and explore the academic opportunities available at historical black colleges and universities. Ironically, it was during the 1998 HBCU Tour (Montgomery, Alabama) when he accepted his call into the ministry and during the 2004 HBCU Tour (Atlanta, GA) when he accepted his assignment to plant Nehemiah Ministries Christian Church in 2005. As a community leader, Pastor West serves as the Moderator for the Pride of the West District Association, Vice President for the NV/CA Interstate Missionary Baptist Church Convention, Vice President for the Churches of Southern Las Vegas, and a newly elected member of Nevada’s Department of Education’s Family Engagement Board. His professional experience includes serving as a Marketing Manager for such companies as Ultrazone, Coca-Cola and United Blood Services. Although, he has earned several awards, his greatest honor is serving as a devoted husband to Carmen and a proud father to Christopher, Kyle, and Cameron.